What reason is there for young people like me to vote Tory?

With a sense of reluctance, I went into a voting booth this week and ticked the boxes corresponding to my local Labour candidates. My rationalisation was simple: I wasn’t voting for Labour, but against the Conservatives. 

There is a tangible stench of decay surrounding the Tory party at present. At best, it is incapable of maintaining moral standards. Barely a month passes without some MP’s embroilment in a grubby scandal involving sex, money, or both. The party has no vision for the country, no agenda beyond targeting the young to pay for the old. And if you judge them on results, well, there’s even fewer reasons to vote Tory.

The Conservatives have been in office for over a decade. What are their economic achievements? Prices are rising; wages are stagnant. Inflation is set to reach ten per cent this year, while growth is expected to be negligible until 2024. 

You could argue that this has been caused by global factors well outside of the government’s control; the disruption Covid caused to supply chains, lockdowns in China, war in Ukraine.